MAGS March "Cut in Half" (VOTING)

[Stupot]

Cut it in Half

Guidelines set by: cat
Deadline: April 3rd (Half-way point March 19th)

VOTING OPEN
Please vote using the poll above.

	MORT: Manageably OK Response Team by RootBound
	Pod Dwellers by Mandle
	Breakfast Requiem by jfrisby and Babar

Share it, divide it, split it up, reduce the budget, size, whatsoever.

A big problem for finishing a MAGS game is starting too big. The smaller the scope, the more likely it is you will finish in time.

For an additional challenge, I suggest that you strive for having a game that can be played from start to finish at half-time (March 19th)! Roger walking around an empty screen with blue cup placeholders? Some puzzles still missing? No music? Dialog that sounds like written by a 4 year old? All fine, as long as it is playable. You still have half a month to finish the rest.
No need to post the half-finished game, but a post about your progress would be nice.



What is MAGS?
Started in 2001, MAGS is a competition for amateur adventure game makers. The idea is to create a game in under a month, following the guidelines set by the previous winner. It aims to help you work to a deadline, improve your skills, and provide a kick-start into making adventure games. Regardless of skill, MAGS is for everyone. Voting is based on "favourite" games, and not the most artistic, or the best coded. If you have bad art skills, use it as a chance to do some graphic work. If you're sub-standard at coding, use it as a chance to give scripting a go. Ultimately, people will vote for the most enjoyable entry.

Rules
Entering MAGS is simple. First, conceptualize your game following the month's criteria (see above). Second, create your game fuelled only by coffee. Finally, post your game in this thread, including:

* A working download link
* The title of your game
* A suitable in-game screenshot

At the end of the month, voting will begin, usually lasting for fourteen days, and the winner chooses the next month's theme.

Remember that this is a challenge to see what you can do in a month, so any tinkering you do after that, including fixing minor glitches, is against the spirit of the competition. The exception to this is that you may go in and fix major, game-breaking bugs only during voting. We want you to have a game that voters can actually play and that runs on their machines.

So to reiterate, during the voting period fixing major, game-breaking bugs is okay, fixing minor glitches or making cosmetic changes is cheating.

Tips
Here are some ways to make sure you have a game to submit at the end of the month:
* Make a tiny game. Plan small, then cut it in half. Find shortcuts (e.g. if making walkcycles is time-consuming, make the characters static or have it in the first person).
* Plan to have your game playable and submittable with a week to spare. This way you have a week to fix bugs, add some flourishes and maybe even get someone to test it.
* Plan to submit it a day or so early. This way, if there are any technical issues with uploading, they can be sorted out in time.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Need a little help with graphics? Perhaps The AGS Trove has something you can use.
Don't want to go it alone? Try the Recruitment board.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[eri0o]

The idea of cutting reminds me of my favorite Magic the Gathering card, Fact or Fiction



Also I watched the Romeo and Juliet movie from 1996 yesterday and not sure what I was expecting but it had a city divided by Capulet and Montague in half.

Interesting theme.

[Durinde]

Have an idea, so hopefully will be able to participate in this one.

[RootBound]

The wheels in my head are turning
... I really shouldn't start another game right now but maybe I can keep it small for once. 

[jwalt]

It is getting kind of weird in jwalt-ville, regarding the last few MAGS topics. Here, once again, the topic seems to be falling nicely in line with my story arc in the effort to get Josh and Davy back home. I saw my Thorvald's Sphincter as two halves of one tool. Only, not sure I'm up to another effort? Have to see if I'm able to make any progress?

PS Thanks, Cat! Just as we planned... 

[cat]

Great to see some interest already!

Just to remind you, this is the important part of this month's challange:

For an additional challenge, I suggest that you strive for having a game that can be played from start to finish at half-time (March 19th)! No need to post the half-finished game, but a post about your progress would be nice.

[Kastchey]

... I really shouldn't start another game right now but maybe I can keep it small for once. 

"I really shouldn't start another game right now" is something I should probably make a sticky note of and plaster it somewhere where I can see it

[eri0o]

I am trying to think how to join cut in half with exploration. Maybe some game where the world is made of interconnected boards where the game happen and then either cutting the board or yourself to adapt to the world would somehow be the mechanic to traverse the world... Haven't come up with anything that makes sense yet.

[Kastchey]

Or, more literally, a game where the land is split in half by a huge chasm, and you need to either get across to explore the other side, or down the chasm to find something.

[The Great Underground Empire]

I can't participate this month or next because packing and moving whee!  But I would like to submit for anyone to grab: a magician's assistant who gets sawed in half, the magician has a heart attack, and now you've got to get yourself back together!

[Radiant]

Ok, I'll bite this time! 

[eri0o]

Trying to have more ideas, maybe using the split technique, had an idea where you can split yourself, so you can be in two places at the same time and maybe you can split again and be in four places at the same time, but you cut your mass and size in half each time, so the world could have puzzles/gates that requires you to be at specific size or weight to access... This would allow playing with the AGS multiple cameras.

[newwaveburritos]

I think another 22 room extravaganza is just what this MAGS needs...

...oh wait 11...

[heltenjon]

Trying to have more ideas, maybe using the split technique, had an idea where you can split yourself, so you can be in two places at the same time and maybe you can split again and be in four places at the same time, but you cut your mass and size in half each time, so the world could have puzzles/gates that requires you to be at specific size or weight to access... This would allow playing with the AGS multiple cameras.

If you are a robot, splitting into different parts could also make you split up different mechanics or abilities.

Come to think of it, if you're not a robot, how about trying to decide which of your multiple personalities you need to solve the obstacles? 

[Ponch]

Once again, I'm in. This time, I look forward to making one-fourth of a game before I run out of time. 

[heltenjon]

I think another 22 room extravaganza is just what this MAGS needs...

...oh wait 11...

Took me a while to get the joke.   

[eri0o]

I think I finally came up with something that uses the splittable robot concept from @heltenjon that could work, now need to hack up some form of level Editor to test the idea out.

[RootBound]

So the .gif below is all placeholder graphics, but for my interpretation of the "cut in half" theme, I've been attempting an extremely faux split-screen effect (note the changing cursor color    ). It's been fun to program, but only because it's working so far.    We'll see whether I can get far enough to implement actual gameplay (it needs a lot more to become something besides a programming exercise), but I'm happy with the result at this stage. 

[The Great Underground Empire]

@RootBound Nice!    I just had a sudden nostalgia flashback to the old game Hard Hat Mack!

[jwalt]

Would not say I'm making a lot of progress with this one. Tentatively titled: Mir Amesh. GameBoy video capture for one of the rooms:

https://www.mediafire.com/file/qf6yhuaqt6j0upq/Mir_Amesh_2024-03-09_16-15-03.mp4/file

Not happy with much of anything, but still trying.

Edit: Worked on fan, and added piano:

https://www.mediafire.com/file/ia1yinimjm3bc8y/Mir_Amesh_2024-03-10_06-00-05.mp4/file

[Mandle]

I only jut got started today, but things are moving along alright.

[4KbShort]

Hey my dudes! I just wanted to poke in and say I've not forgotten AGS or the MAGS!
But I've been super busy with a new job and trying to release my first ever game on Steam! (Which means I have to finish it! O_O) So I wanted to give a shoutout to all the people who participated in the last couple months of MAGS and say thanks for keeping it going!

You guys rock!

[Mandle]

Hey my dudes! I just wanted to poke in and say I've not forgotten AGS or the MAGS!
But I've been super busy with a new job and trying to release my first ever game on Steam! (Which means I have to finish it! O_O) So I wanted to give a shoutout to all the people who participated in the last couple months of MAGS and say thanks for keeping it going!

You guys rock!

Cheers for the good word! Also, "Someware" is the greatest name for a game company. Shocked it wasn't already taken!

[RootBound]

Well, I had to completely recode the split screen functionality because the jury-rigged way I did it was going to make building the rest of the game an incredible pain. 

Thankfully, I finally taught myself how to use viewport and game cameras, so it's not jury-rigged anymore but is a legit split screen. 

Now that that's done, hopefully the rest of the game should be easier (famous last words  )

The foundation is in place!

[RootBound]

I really ought to be coding the puzzles at this point, but here I am coding a custom SayAt extender function to keep each character's speech text within their respective viewports... because that's more novel for me. 

[Kastchey]

I really ought to be coding the puzzles at this point, but here I am coding a custom SayAt extender function to keep each character's speech text within their respective viewports... because that's more novel for me. 

I know right! Important stuff 

[cat]

Half-time! Before you leave for your break, please tell us how you are progressing. Who managed to make a game that is playable from start to finish?

[RootBound]

Who managed to make a game that is playable from start to finish?

No bonus points for me! The game is about 2/3 playable but bugs keep cropping up every step of the way. Turns out I'm trying to do something difficult.

[jwalt]

Half-time! Before you leave for your break, please tell us how you are progressing. Who managed to make a game that is playable from start to finish?

I won't have anything this month. I normally have better luck with the project than I am at the present time. I do hope to continue the effort, but it's not happening this month.

[cat]

@RootBound Go go go, you can do it!
@jwalt Sorry to hear that

How about everyone else? @eri0o @Durinde @Radiant @newwaveburritos @Ponch @Mandle

[Durinde]

Haven't progressed much. Life stepped in heavy. I'm still going to try and produce something since I have a few days off coming up.

[Radiant]

How about everyone else? @eri0o @Durinde @Radiant @newwaveburritos @Ponch @Mandle

I'm still here. This is sort-of playable in that you can walk through all the rooms, but the in-room activities are still missing.

[Mandle]

How about everyone else? @eri0o @Durinde @Radiant @newwaveburritos @Ponch @Mandle

Well, I didn't start until the 10th, so not halfway for me yet on my personal timeline, hehe.

But things are going along well. I'm getting some work done on the game most days. In fact, today put in a good 5 hours or so.

Front end of the game is playable start to finish. All content is working, although more of the same content must still be added. But all that will just be added into the same template I have in place for the current stuff, so doesn't take long.

Back end of the game is progressing steadily structure-wise, but not playable yet. Setting the foundations for the template there.

Will post some screenies and info on the game in a day or two.

[Ponch]

How about everyone else? @eri0o @Durinde @Radiant @newwaveburritos @Ponch @Mandle

Probably not going to make the deadline. 

[RootBound]

Almost there! Just need to code the final puzzle (and you know, make sure the final puzzle is actually fun, but with MAGS that's optional ). Also, still need to do lots of testing, because WOW, do I keep finding bugs.    And also, write the credits. And turn off debug mode. 

EDIT: And speaking of credits, who did the default Roger walk cycle? Both my characters just paint-overs of this...

[Mandle]

I'm still here, too. And progress is going strong.

The name of my game is "Pod Dwellers". If anyone is familiar with the game "60 Seconds", they will see quite a bit of influence from it in my game.

You start out aboard the Starship Voidlight. The ship has just come out of warp into an uncharted asteroid cluster and has been struck, rendering its engines and everyone else on board, except you, unconscious. You have a limited number of moves to look around the ship, gather up people and equipment, and stash them in the escape pod, before a massive asteroid splits the ship asunder. You will not have time to take everyone/everything, so will have to make some difficult choices. The items and people and their locations on the ship are randomized each playthrough, making each playthrough quite different.

The ship being split apart is not the only connection to this round's theme; the gameplay is also split into two parts:

If you, or others, can escape in the pod in time, the player will face a new challenge, which makes up the other half of the gameplay. More on that later.

For now, here is a screenie of one possibility for the split-point in the game:

[Radiant]

Probably not going to make the deadline. 

Same here, and I have plans for the Easter weekend so that doesn't cut it for me. How strict are we on March 31st?

[Mandle]

Probably not going to make the deadline. 

Same here, and I have plans for the Easter weekend so that doesn't cut it for me. How strict are we on March 31st?

The deadline is April 3rd.

[RootBound]

Me before any playtesters: This game is the best!
Me after one playtester: This game is the worst!
Me after fixing all the bugs and clarifying the interface in response to the playtester: This game is good. Maybe. I guess.

Off to Easter festivities now. I should have my entry ready tomorrow! Have a great day, everyone. 

[RootBound]

Well, I've done it! Here's my entry for "Cut it in half"! 

DISCLAIMER: No matter how many times I play-test this game, I always find at least one more bug, so at some point I just had to stop. Hopefully I've fixed all the game-breaking ones and eliminated any dead ends (there aren't supposed to be any).

KNOWN BUG: let me know if the music doesn't play. This might be something on my system because it isn't consistent at all. Sometimes the music plays and sometimes it doesn't. 

Without further ado...

MORT: Manageably OK Response Team

Is it an adventure game? Is it a platformer with only one short level? Who knows? You decide! (And let me know?)

Alternate between controlling Green MORT and Purple MORT (single player only) as you descend from the roof and climb up from the basement toward the ground floor where Pink MORT is being held. Can you outwit the robots and malfunctioning lifts to rescue your teammate? And yes, all these characters are paint-overs of the default Roger sprites. I had to cut corners somewhere.

Download for Windows
Download for Linux

Screenshots:






Thanks for playing! I hope you enjoy it! 

[Mandle]

Here's my entry. For what it is worth. Very low-frills and confusing to play I'm sure. Had no time for fancy stuff, but will add a guide to play in here. Really just a start/proof of concept on a full game I will continue working on probably.


POD DWELLERS

Escape the doomed Starship Voidlight before it is split asunder by a giant asteroid. Then try to survive, and perhaps escape from, the hardships and dangers of an uncharted alien world.






DOWNLOAD HERE FOR WINDOWS AND LINUX

GAME NOTES

This is basically a proof-of-concept for a larger, more detailed game I plan to continue working on.

Building the 'game engine' inside the AGS game engine to handle an unlimited number of missions for the Pod Dwellers took me muuuuuch longer than it probably should have, so time ran out for writing a large number of missions. This means not a lot of variety once the player is stranded on the alien planet but I was sure to include everything needed to complete the game.

Some people may notice a similarity between my game and the popular game "60 Seconds". This is no coincidence. 60 Seconds was a big influence on me in making this. I thought "What about a game like that but set in space?". What WAS a coincidence was that the developers of 60 Seconds came out with their own take on the genre set in space while I was making mine: 60 Parsecs. Haha, oh well.

Anyway, game notes:

* It is not transparent in the game in its current form, but every type of person DOES have their own particular skill set. There are 20 skill stats for each character and each "class" is unique. Basically, if you assume a particular character is good at a certain challenge, then they probably are. Need to pew-pew with blaster pistols? A soldier is good at that! Or maybe a lovable space-rogue pirate who may or may not shoot first?

* You will notice that the storage area of the pod has a LOT of empty slots. Those are all for the future.

* The number of items brought on a mission cannot exceed the number of people on the mission. If you get a red flash and a buzzer then you are already at the limit and can swap some out if you like. Sorry there is no counter to show total people/ total items. There was no time.

* Yes, it is annoying that mission equipment is always returned to the storage area after each outing. Sorry about that. It was a workaround for an issue I knew how to fix but would have needed major time I did not have to do so. On the plus side, it IS good to think about your mission profile of people and equipment each time, so this "feature" kind of forces that.

* Almost every character consumes food and water every game day. If they are active on a mission that day, THEY WILL CONSUME MORE than people sitting around doing nothing in the Living Space. This is a VITAL thing to consider to survive long. Spamming every mission with all available people will get you killed pretty fast.

* If you see a quick red flash and hear a slight buzz out of nowhere, this is your people dying from starvation and/or thirst. Sorry that this flashes by too quickly to notice who exactly died.

* VERY IMPORTANT: Medkits brought along on missions have the potential to save a person who would have otherwise died. This also depends on the total medical skill of the team so a doctor or two along on missions with medkits are great medic backup if possible. If the person's life is saved, the medkit is consumed. (You will see a green flash when this happens)

* That being said, most characters have at least SOME skill in every area. You might not HAVE a doctor but someone else might know a little more about that stuff than the average joe. No miner in your pod? What's the next best thing?

* In the same vein, other items brought along on missions are also useful. This is not transparent but is pretty much common-sense rules. If you want to do some mining, for example, what do you bring? If you want to impress someone brainy, what do you bring? And so on.

* Monks are copyright-safe Jedi.

* Yes, there are SUPPOSED to be laser swords in the game. The sprite for them is already in it, but not utilized yet. Time ran out.

* Science level is NOT SUPPOSED to show up (in this version). It's an amorphic amount of knowledge, not an inventory item. Although I will probably add an indicator in future versions. Just another thing where time ran out.

* There IS a way to win the game. For now, I will leave that as unclear as the game itself does as I think part of the fun may be figuring it out. In the full game I envision, there will be multiple possible endings. But for this MAGs version there is only one. Well, apart for various ways to die along the way. The good news is that the limited resources and options in this version make finding the win conditions fairly easy I believe.

* Have fun I hope.

[jfrisby]

after a bunch of last minute version control nightmare stuff...
Babar & I present....



Breakfast Requiem

Download here:
https://bani-gala.itch.io/breakfastrequiem

(edit: I uploaded a small fix at 5pm...)

[Mandle]

My original upload had one bad bug due to a typo in code (a one letter difference) that made it unfinishable. I changed just that one letter and re-uploaded.

[heltenjon]

My original upload had one bad bug due to a typo in code (a one letter difference) that made it unfinishable. I changed just that one letter and re-uploaded.

NOW you tell me!   

[Mandle]

NOW you tell me!   

SORRY! I got done testing at 1 a.m. this morning and noticed that the win condition blurb doesn't pop up. I found the problem and was sure I had fixed it. But instead of 'gMessage01.Visible' I typed 'lMessage01.Visible'. That was the 'typo' of just one letter that borked the ending. FIXED NOW!

[Radiant]

The deadline is April 3rd.

Oh good, I see that I can use the MAGS for April to finish my MAGS gam for March.

[Stupot]

Voting is now OPEN!

Please vote using the poll above.

	MORT: Manageably OK Response Team by RootBound
	Pod Dwellers by Mandle
	Breakfast Requiem by jfrisby and Babar

As always, please let me know if I've made any mistakes or missed anything out.

[cat]

I'm stuck in Breakfast Requiem

Spoiler

How can I defeat the beast? I have 3 syrups and a pancake cut in half. I can't turn the wheel. I can't use the explosive or the knife or actually any inventory item on the beast.

[close]

[jfrisby]

I'm stuck in Breakfast Requiem

Spoiler

How can I defeat the beast? I have 3 syrups and a pancake cut in half. I can't turn the wheel. I can't use the explosive or the knife or actually any inventory item on the beast.

[close]

Spoiler

There's a bit of maybe rough puzzling ahead...  I think you have a closet to open, and something in the debris that fell through the floor, to get you started.. 

[close]

[Shadow1000]

I'm stuck in Breakfast Requiem

Spoiler

How can I defeat the beast? I have 3 syrups and a pancake cut in half. I can't turn the wheel. I can't use the explosive or the knife or actually any inventory item on the beast.

[close]

Spoiler

There's a bit of maybe rough puzzling ahead...  I think you have a closet to open, and something in the debris that fell through the floor, to get you started.. 

[close]

I'm basically at the same place

Spoiler

How do you open the closet? How do you open the cork on the oil bottle?

[close]

[jfrisby]

I'm stuck in Breakfast Requiem

Spoiler

How can I defeat the beast? I have 3 syrups and a pancake cut in half. I can't turn the wheel. I can't use the explosive or the knife or actually any inventory item on the beast.

[close]

Spoiler

There's a bit of maybe rough puzzling ahead...  I think you have a closet to open, and something in the debris that fell through the floor, to get you started.. 

[close]

I'm basically at the same place

Spoiler

How do you open the closet? How do you open the cork on the oil bottle?

[close]

Spoiler

Looking at the closet door is supposed to hint you towards trying to find a way to use your phone (there is a brick near the entrance to examine)...  This was probably too subtle, sorry!   For the Oil bottle, make sure you've examined all of the bodies.

[close]

[Shadow1000]

Spoiler

Looking at the closet door is supposed to hint you towards trying to find a way to use your phone (there is a brick near the entrance to examine)...  This was probably too subtle, sorry!   For the Oil bottle, make sure you've examined all of the bodies.

[close]

Spoiler

THANKS! I totally forgot about the communicator because it wouldn't let me use it once indoors. I would NEVER have found that brick had it not been pointed out. onwards!

[close]

[RootBound]

I'm stuck on  Breakfast Requiem as well, though it seems a bit earlier than others were...

Spoiler

I've gotten to the locked closet and have thrown bread down the hole, and have translated the bug tablet. I have the knife and the corkscrew. Can't figure out how to progress from here.

[close]

[Shadow1000]

Well, another month, another MAGS vote. Here's my 2 cents:

MORT

Spoiler

This game is the most polished of the group. Even more points for the application of the theme. Gameplay is excellent, with two playable characters who interact with each other, sharing resources and even the loveable helper drone. Another area that shines is the idea of combining adventure game puzzles with a platformer to create a unique experience.

Unfortunately, with all that said, my own experience was spending a disproportionate amount of time being really stuck compared to the amount of time I spent progressing in the game. I don't mind a game that's more challenging but it gets to a point where I just lose the satisfaction of achieving progress because of the slow pace of advancement. I have to admit that I gave up at one point and did not complete the game

[close]

Pod Dwellers

Spoiler

Interesting concept. I can't say that I completely got the idea of what was going on during gameplay, but I do gather that this is a part text/part graphic simulation survival game. I played the game until it told me that I was dead.

[close]

Breakfast Requiem

Spoiler

Good puzzles, reasonable graphics, good story, ridiculously silly to the point of being really funny. Overall an impressive job to create a new bizarre world packed with puzzles of varying style and difficulty. I needed a few hints but the experience was really enjoyable

[close]

My vote went to (drum roll, please):

Spoiler

Breakfast Requiem. Simply because I had the best overall experience playing

[close]

[jfrisby]

I'm stuck on  Breakfast Requiem as well, though it seems a bit earlier than others were...

Spoiler

I've gotten to the locked closet and have thrown bread down the hole, and have translated the bug tablet. I have the knife and the corkscrew. Can't figure out how to progress from here.

[close]

Spoiler

I'm not sure if you threw the 'correct' pancake down the hole. It requires a warm sweetened pancake to summon a creature ... otherwise you can throw endless pancakes down.

The locked closet, if you look at it, tells you to call the support desk for a unlock code.  Now you need to find a brick in the fountain room to pry open for cell signal :p

Sorry for these ridiculous puzzles!

[close]

[RootBound]

@jfrisby Stuck again 

Spoiler

I'm at the beast. I have cleared the pipes and poured the explosive syrup into them. I have a cut in half pancake. I have been digging though the debris trying to find something, and all I can find is a small brown spot on the floor that does not have a name when the cursor hovers over it (next to the grasshopper king's foot). I can't pick it up or use any inventory on it. Not sure what I'm missing. 

[close]

[jfrisby]

@jfrisby Stuck again 

Spoiler

I'm at the beast. I have cleared the pipes and poured the explosive syrup into them. I have a cut in half pancake. I have been digging though the debris trying to find something, and all I can find is a small brown spot on the floor that does not have a name when the cursor hovers over it (next to the grasshopper king's foot). I can't pick it up or use any inventory on it. Not sure what I'm missing. 

[close]

Spoiler

Endgame spoilers:  So this section, you need to have poured all 3 syrups down the plumbing, which will "arm" the cave to explode (this is very poorly hinted in the commandments in the buffet room "do not mix syrups")...   So now that everything is 'shaking'... you must make the lizard roar and shake the cave, by throwing a discus at him (hard/stale pancake).

thanks for playing!

[close]

[RootBound]

Played the other two entries and voted!

Spoiler

I liked both, and they were trying to do two very different different things, so it was a tough decision. Pod Dwellers was a really interesting survival strategy game, something I've never seen with AGS before, and I enjoyed playing with it. Everyone always ended up dead after about 45 days (if that). Breakfast Requiem was a truly strange and often funny classic point-and-click, and while some of the puzzles were not super intuitive for me, I still enjoyed it a lot.

I voted for Breakfast Requiem both for overall enjoyability and because I saw more references to the MAGS theme there.

[close]

P.S. If anyone else is stuck on MORT, just let me know. Happy to provide hints or a walkthrough.

[Babar]

P.S. If anyone else is stuck on MORT, just let me know. Happy to provide hints or a walkthrough.

Since you offer, I'm stuck

Spoiler

At the first guard bot, with a steel strip/plate

[close]

[RootBound]

@Babar

Spoiler

Go back down and use the metal piece on the breaker door. There will be occasional up and down in this game.

[close]

Truth be told, I think it's probably better to treat it as a standard point and click puzzler rather than a platformer. It's definitely less fast paced and straightforward than a regular platformer.

[jfrisby]

P.S. If anyone else is stuck on MORT, just let me know. Happy to provide hints or a walkthrough.

I finally got to try this, really cool!  .. and I am stuck    

Spoiler

I made it to the motion sensor/laser/crate on my own..  I now have the drone over on the side with the motion sensor, but I can't figure out what I'm trying to do.

[close]

[RootBound]

@jfrisby

Spoiler

If you lift up the crate by the motion sensor using the magnet, you'll see a panel. But it affects something on the other side of the screen. If the right side MORT hasn't gotten far enough, you might need to send the drone and the magnet back across to help until both MORTS are at the same level of progression. Let me know if you need more specifics.

[close]

[jfrisby]

@jfrisby

Spoiler

If you lift up the crate by the motion sensor using the magnet, you'll see a panel. But it affects something on the other side of the screen. If the right side MORT hasn't gotten far enough, you might need to send the drone and the magnet back across to help until both MORTS are at the same level of progression. Let me know if you need more specifics.

[close]

Spoiler

Maybe I'm getting a bug or something.. I can't seem to lower the magnet thing onto the crate, I've been clicking on every variation I can think of..  and the button/crate on that screen doesn't do anything on click.  The switch moves the magnet..  The drone doesn't seem to want to touch them either.

confirming location:

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[RootBound]

@jfrisby

Spoiler

There's no magnet attached to the hookup. You need to go back and geta magnet before you can lower it. You'll need to trade the magnet back and forth between the MORTs by sending the drone, carrying the magnet, through the chutes. Based on your screenshot I think the magnet is on Green MORT's side a few floors up. Purple MORT is going to need it first, so send it through the first chute, and then you can send it back to green MORT once they are both on a level with a sensor.

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[cat]

@RootBound Very cool game so far!

I'm stuck in the final room.

Spoiler

I had the metal plate on both sides, but don't know what to do.

Btw, I managed to have inventory items disappear. Once in the first room the metal strip and once in the final room the metal plate. I think the drone was carrying the metal plate when I was messing with the magnet? Not sure.

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[RootBound]

Glad you're enjoying, cat!

I'm stuck in the final room.

Spoiler

You only need the metal plate on the left side. It's actually not supposed to be able to go through the chute. Whoops.
The left side is a matter of timing, which will give you what you need to solve the right side. You can open the panel on the left side but only while the robot is moving away from you. There is also a panel behind the holding cell which the drone can open. That should give you what you need to solve the left side. (This must be done before you can solve the right side). To solve the right side, you may need to sacrifice something. 

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And I'll need to look into the inventory item issue. Thanks for the bug report.

[Shadow1000]

Glad you're enjoying, cat!

I'm stuck in the final room.

Spoiler

You only need the metal plate on the left side. It's actually not supposed to be able to go through the chute. Whoops.
The left side is a matter of timing, which will give you what you need to solve the right side. You can open the panel on the left side but only while the robot is moving away from you. There is also a panel behind the holding cell which the drone can open. That should give you what you need to solve the left side. (This must be done before you can solve the right side). To solve the right side, you may need to sacrifice something. 

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And I'll need to look into the inventory item issue. Thanks for the bug report.

Spoiler

I also had the metal strip disappear on me before I did anything with it. I had to restart the game once I found out that I needed it

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[cat]

@RootBound

Spoiler

I was able to take the connector from the center panel and open the left panel (but not take anything from it). When I clicked the magnet hook on the right, suddenly there was a magnet hanging there and the drone was carrying another magnet. So I reloaded before that and couldn't manage to open the panel again.

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[RootBound]

@cat ugh, another bug. My apologies for how difficult this game seems to be.

Spoiler

when you open the panel, you can get the magnet out of it when the robot is moving away, but only if you click while purple MORT is within a certain distance.
After that, same deal. You can put the breaker door into the empty panel to trap the robot below the big magnet. The timing is difficult, but it can be done. Then crush the robot with the big magnet. Here is how to solve the righthand side:

Spoiler

Use the drone to take the power circuit and the magnet through the chute, then use the drone to attack the robot, sacrificing the
drone. This traps the other robot, which can be defeated with the magnet.

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[cat]

Spoiler

when you open the panel, you can get the magnet out of it when the robot is moving away, but only if you click while purple MORT is within a certain distance.

I tried that millions of times, but I can't get it to work. I was lucky and got it right one time, but never again.

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[Mandle]

@cat ugh, another bug. My apologies for how difficult this game seems to be.

Spoiler

when you open the panel, you can get the magnet out of it when the robot is moving away, but only if you click while purple MORT is within a certain distance.
After that, same deal. You can put the breaker door into the empty panel to trap the robot below the big magnet. The timing is difficult, but it can be done. Then crush the robot with the big magnet. Here is how to solve the righthand side:

Spoiler

Use the drone to take the power circuit and the magnet through the chute, then use the drone to attack the robot, sacrificing the
drone. This traps the other robot, which can be defeated with the magnet.

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Spoiler

I found that unless you do things in the last room in pretty much the exact order intended, the inventory system gets all confused and you write over one of the grenades with another item and the game is unwinnable. Still a great game and will be even better when the bugs are ironed out. Got my vote!

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[RootBound]

@cat Thanks for not giving up. I guess I need to recode that part of the game. It's supposed to be hard but not that hard.

The way I think it works is this:

Spoiler

First have MORT get shot at by the robot, which will automatically turn the character around and walk back a bit. Leave the character right there until the robot turns around.
When the robot starts moving away, click twice in quick succession. First click to walk closer to the panel, second to click on the panel itself. Both clicks must happen before the robot stops moving away. That's how I got it to work consistently in testing anyway.

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@Mandle Sounds like something is very wrong with the inventory code. (Which was supposed to be simple.) Thanks for reporting all these bugs.

I'll see if I can get a bug fixed version uploaded soon. The game clearly isn't truly playable yet.

[RootBound]

@cat Here is a version where the final room is more playable.

EDIT: (link removed by me, updated version below).

I have not been able to reproduce the inventory issues yet, or any of the other serious bugs. Can anyone be more specific as to how they happened? 

EDIT 2: I found the magnet bug in the final room and am working on fixing it. It's notfixed in the version in this post yet.

Spoiler

I'm HOPING this is connected to overwriting the grenade as well. Can't be certain because I still haven't reproduced that.

I can't figure out the disappearing metal strip though. It's supposed to get replaced with the metal door, but not go away before then.

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EDIT 3:
Fixed every bug I could find so far. Still looking for a few things.

PATCH 2 HERE:
Windows: https://www.mediafire.com/file/fyyum7eh9u241my/MORTWindowsPatch2.zip/file
Linux: https://www.mediafire.com/file/l0mn8tgscf4s14l/MORTLinuxPatch2.tar.bz2/file

[cat]

@RootBound
I've finished the game (original MAGS version)

Spoiler

I randomly clicked around the area of the panel, that brought be more progress than trying to time it correctly 

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[RootBound]

@RootBound
I've finished the game (original MAGS version)

Glad you made it! Thanks again for sticking with it. Just edited my above post with a second bug-fix version. Hoping all is functional, but still couldn't reproduce the disappearing metal strip except for when it gets used (see explanation in spoiler above).

[cat]

@RootBound

Spoiler

I tried very hard but was not able to reproduce the inventory issue. I think it happened when the drone was carrying the item, both times on the left side. The metal strip disappeared before I used it on the panel door.

Some possible improvements for a post-MAGS version:
-Either put a load button on the start screen (preferable) or make the intro cutscene skippable with a single ESC press.
-The drone dialog box is rather annoying, disrupting the flow. When the drone has no inventory and is not active, clicking it could not bring up the menu but instead just select it (since this is the only possible action anyway)

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I'll write up some reviews for all games in the next few days.

[heltenjon]

I made it through MORT (The first version) and now read the various bug reports. Here's how I encountered the bugs:

Spoiler

I was able to bring the magnet from the right side with me into the final room. I guess this was not supposed to be possible, but dropping the crate doesn't block the lift after I've used it. Additionally, the messages when using the drone in the second last room to the right after having been in the last room and going back, did not fit with the current situation. But those are minor annoyances.

Final room: When the drone carries the grenade, re-taking it transforms it into another item. I guess the one it carried before. I found myself having two circuits or two metal doors. (I also suspect things get messy when both the person and the drone have an active item and try to drop it, although I haven't tested that thoroughly.) You may already have fixed this; I haven't tried the updated versions.

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I need to download the updated version of Mandle's game and try to beat it before I give my vote and final reviews, but I can reveal that I have had tons of fun with all three games already.    Great work, people!

[RootBound]

@heltenjon in fact, NONE of the bugs you mention have been fixed in the patches I've done so far. Once more unto the breach, it seems!

[RootBound]

So @heltenjon identified the cause of the overwriting inventory item issue (THANK YOU!  ), a bug which makes the game unwinnable.

Hence, I feel the need to release one more patch. I understand I'll still be judged on the original version, of course. I just want people to be able to finish the game. 

I'll try to wait until after MAGS for any more patches, because this is getting ridiculous.

Thanks very, very much to everyone who braved the bugfield and made it to the end of the game! You'll all be thanked in the post-MAGS version credits. 

And special kudos to the other entrants for submitting games that gave me zero bugs!

WINDOWS PATCH 3:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/xkkyapuhftq38yd/MORTWindowsPatch3.zip/file
LINUX PATCH 3:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/0i2m4td5h0mwxv9/MORTLinuxPatch3.tar.bz2/file

[RootBound]

(Bump) Just a few more days of voting!    I was really impressed with both the other games entered, and lots of people should play them.  Great competition this month!

[heltenjon]

Here are my thoughts this month:

MORT

Spoiler

It's great to see someone making a game using the split screen tech from the AGS Camera Tech Demo! (I assume.) For those of us who played and loved Rootbound's earlier game Elevation, this is a welcome return of the same kind of puzzles. Back and forth, re-using a sparse selection of multi-purpose inventory items. Even though this may be a platform game, thankfully there's no jumping, and I made it through with lots of time used, pondering what to do and trying the combinations.

The humour in the dialogues work nicely, and whoever said the drone was "lovable", had it spot on. Great premise, good delivery on the theme of the month, and fun gameplay, unfortunately hampered by some bugs. I'd be happy to rescue the pink robocop again in a sequel or five. (The helmet paintover gave me instant robocop vibes.)

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Pod Dwellers

Spoiler

I haven't had time to beat this one yet, but will play until I do. There's a lot going on under the hood here. The theme is evident in the two-part nature of the game. At first, I had the feeling that the first part, in the Space ship, was almost unnecessary for the meat of the game. But I realize that you may control which people you start with by careful selection, and that may give the necessary head start to make your colony avoid dying instantly.

The game is made more difficult by hiding almost all stats, so actually knowing which characters will work in given situations is a bit of hit or miss, though I got some ideas through trial and error.

The game sports no graphic thrills, and that spartan look means that Mandle made this well knowing that he would not win this month's contest. And I love that so much - that people don't participate to win, but to share their game ideas with others. The game is just that - ideas on top of ideas. Maybe not all has been polished yet, but it's a great prototype. I will give further feedback in the game's own thread after I make further progress.

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Breakfast Requiem

Spoiler

I must admit up front that I read the hint about the wall, and afterwards couldn't believe I'd missed that. This game, too, was far from the easy stroll MAGS games often are. I enjoyed the puzzles very much, especially that clues were left everywhere - it became a part of the problem to sort out what was just background noise and what was actual useful info.

Last month, the creators treated us to a horror-themed game set after some sort of disaster. This time around, there are also constant allusions to the past, but this time it's hilarious. Pancakes as holy food is so funny, and also a bit eye-opening as to how the real-world religions and traditions work, without being mocking or seeming disrespectful. It's wonderfully pulled off.

The graphic style with the limited palette works well this time around, too, especially the giant bugs. And once again, the music track is atmospheric in a less is more-way that I cannot really explain. It's more of a feeling than a fully formed opinion.

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I voted for:

Spoiler

Breakfast Requiem. All the gods have names like someone's trying to say something with their mouth full of pancake. And there's a Ghostbusters reference so well hidden, it may well be unintentional. Anyway, the great humour tipped the scale this way, even though I enjoyed all the games.

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[RootBound]

@heltenjon I wish I had remembered that the AGS camera demo existed.    It probably would have saved me a lot of time and given me more space to iron out the bugs.    I did have fun figuring out how to do split screen though. Now I'll have to play the camera demo and take a look at the source, see what other cool things I might do next time.

[heltenjon]

@heltenjon I wish I had remembered that the AGS camera demo existed.   

And now I wish I had thought to post that observation when you posted the first screenshot. 

[cat]

As promised, here are some mini reviews:

MORT

Spoiler

I loved the game. What looks like a platformer is actually a classic point and click adventure but with creative controls. The split gameplay was excellent and I loved the drone and that the two players were able to interact with it to exchange items. The scene when they reach the common floor and the separation line goes away was amazing. The graphics are also great. Of course, there has to be a bit of polish and bug fixing and the last room's puzzles need some fine-tuning. Best interpretation of the topic and progress updates throughout the competition.

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Pod Dwellers

Spoiler

Interesting concept, I enjoyed the first part most. The second part was too random for me. I managed to survive for some time, but I had no idea what I was supposed to do actually. There was only a handful of events that would repeat permanently but what happened each time was too random for me. Often I picked what I would think reasonable team members but didn't have a successful outcome. Good interpretation of the topic and some progress updates.

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Breakfast Requiem

Spoiler

I like the graphic style and the world building, but the puzzles were too read-the-designers-mind for me. The topic was not really met (was the cut-in-half pancake ever used) and there was not a single progress update for the whole month.

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I voted for:

Spoiler

MORT. It was the best interpretation of the topic and most fun to play.

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[RootBound]

Thanks so much for the kind words @cat ! It makes me very happy when people notice the small details like what happens when you get to the final room.

And I notice we have a winner! Glad to see every entry was someone's favorite. Congratulations to @jfrisby and @Babar for a really sweet entry.

Thanks again to everyone who played MORT, both those who voted for it and everyone who gave feedback and reported the bugs. Great competition all around!

[heltenjon]

Breakfast Requiem

Spoiler

Spoiler

The topic was not really met (was the cut-in-half pancake ever used)

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Spoiler

I take it you didn't reach the game's end? I'd say that qualifies.

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[cat]

Spoiler

I take it you didn't reach the game's end? I'd say that qualifies.

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Spoiler

I did, but it didn't matter to the story. The result would have been the same had the planet split into three or more parts or exploded into tiny fragments.

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[jfrisby]

:o 
Thanks to everyone that voted for us, and thanks to Mandle and RootBound for awesome games!! 

I've had a blast this last couple months, and look forward to learning more! This one got overambitious and messy and I was cursing the amount of inventory items involved.. lessons learned! (maybe?  hopefully?) 

@heltenjon Thank you for the incredibly kind review!

@cat I was worried about cursing ourselves if we posted updates, and Babar likes surprises.. but this is definitely a priority in the future!... especially since I love reading everyones updates!
I was trying to put the 'Cut in half' theme in everywhere.. But I agree it doesn't really come across.

Spoiler

The original plan was to cut the bridge in half at the end, (which we kind of did?) but it doesn't really make sense...  and there was the inner/outer world stuff, and half buried head... but it all got kind of subsumed by syrups.

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Thanks again all 

[Mandle]

Congratz to all for either winning and/or getting a game "finished"!

I had a ton of fun making mine but started late and by the time I had the mission template done didn't have the time to make more than 15 or so. The good news is that the template means I can plug in new missions willy-nilly for future releases (DLC "seasons" in the current parlance I believe hehe) and game-balance be damned!